Corner construction for metal doors and the like



p 1952 c. L. WEBSTER CORNER CONSTRUCTION FOR METAL DOORS AND THE LIKE- Filed Feb. 11, 1950 1477' IPA/EX Patented Sept. 23, 1952 oonNER CONSTRUCTION FOR METAL noons AND THE LIKE Clifford L. Webster, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor.

to Aluminum Air Seal Manufacturing Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 11, 1950, Serial No. 143,614

2 Claims.

, v 1 This invention relates to a cornerconstruction and more particularly to a corner construction adaptable for'use in metal storm doors and the like.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive corner construction for a metal door.

A further object of the'invention is the provision ofa corner construction for joining two hollowextrusions to one another.

A' still further object of the invention is th provision of a corner construction for forming a right angle corner on metal doors without the necessity of mitering the sections being joined.

A still further object of theinvention is the provision of a corner construction suitable for joiningright angle corners and mullion bars 01. metal door. constructions.

A still further object of the invention i the provision of a corner construction wherein a structurally strong joint is formed with the con struction members being hidden in the framing members joined.

The corner construction disclosed herein comprises an improvement in the art of joining metal members to one another and particularly in that extruded metal members: such as those used in framing metal storm doors and the like may be simply and efficiently and inexpensively joined to one another with a minimum of time and efiort.

It has heretofore been necessary to cut and miter the cornersof such metal doors and utilize com plicated corner keys and/or clamping members for holding the cut and mitered metal sections in endto end engagement.

Inthe present disclosure the metal framing members are not cut and mitered but are joined in an end to side relationship in the same manner as a wooden door and the appearance of the door is thereby considerably. improved as the diagonal miter joints are eliminated. Additionally, the construction utilizes the surface characteristics or pattern of the metal framing sec-- tions-in holding the same to one another and can be used in joining the side oi. any member of tubular or extruded framing section to the end of a similar section.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction-hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without.

departing from the spirit of the invention.

, metal storm door with parts broken The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1- is a front plan view oi a portion oi-a parts in cross section. I

Figure 2 is a top plan view taken on line 2--'2 of Figure 1. I

' Figure 31s a cross section taken on line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 41s a side view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1. a

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the clamping brackets disclosed in Figure l of the drawings.

By referring to the drawings and Figure 1 and particular it will be seen that a, vertical side rail' of a storm door is indicated by the numeral III, the bottom transverse rail by the numeral H, a top transverse rail by the numeral I2 and'an intermediately positioned mullion bar by the numeral l3. The area between the bottom rail I I and the mullion bar I3 is normally closed with a, metal panel I4 and the area between the mullion bar l3 and the top rail I2 is normally occupied by a glazed sash or alternately by a screened sash.

The glazed and screened sash are not illustrated such as shown inend elevation in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, it beingobserved that the section forming the rails I0, I I and I 2 has a recessed end wall I JA as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the comparable portion forming a recessed bottom wall Ilain the bottom-rail II and a recessed top wall IZa in the top rail I2. The opposite wall of the extruded metal member forming the rail Iilhas a longitudinal extension I5, a surface It of which isformed at'right'angles to an end wall surface I'I so that an L-shaped channel running longitudinally of the extruded metal member is formed which is adapted to receive the glazed or screened sash heretofore referred to. The L-shaped channel is thereby formed'on the vertical side rails 10 and the bottom and top rails I I and I2 as they are formed'of the same extruded metal member.

In orderthat the square cut ends of the bottom I and top rails II and I2 may be joined to the side ofthe side rails Ill but without mitering the same orwithout utilizing L-shaped corner pieces v dicated' by the numerals I8-and1l9, the opening m a d In Figure l of the drawings the top rail l2 is joined to the end wall I! of the side rail-l0.

The top rail I2 has a pair of slots 20 and 21 in its recessed upper wall [2a and its bottom wall Ila. The slot 20 runs longitudinally of the extruded metal section as best shown in Figure 2 of the drawings and the slot 2 l is centered therebeneath in the bottom wall Ha of the extruded metal member forming the top rail I2. A clamping bracket 22, as shown in detail in Figure 5 of the drawings, is provided with upward and downward projections 23 and 214, respectively, and a drilled and tapped opening 25 midway therebetween is then positioned in the top rail [2 either by lowering the same through the slot 20 or by inserting the same through the open end of the top rail [2. If inserted through the slot 20 it is then turned one-quarter turn to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawings and. then moved to vertical position where the length of the body section of the clamping bracket 22 will conform with the vertical innerheight of the top rail 12 and where the extensions 23 and 24 will engage the slots 26 and 2|, respectively. It will thus be seen that the-longitudinal positioning ofthe slot 20 permits the clamping bracket 22 to be positioned in vertical position as shown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings and in which position it occupies the full cross sectionallinterior area of the top rail i2. A bolt 28 having a recessed socket 21 .is then positioned through the openings l8 and i9 and threadably engaged in the opening 25. Upon being tightened the top rail 12 is drawn into tight engagement with the end wall I! of the side rail l and a tight perfectly formed joint is thus made.

Thesame construction is used at the bottom of the door, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the only change being that the slots comprising the equivalents of the slots 20 and 2i in the top rail are reversed with respect to one another so that the longitudinally extendingslot is in the recessed bottom wall of the bottom rail H. The clamping bracket 22 will be seen by referring to Figure of the drawings to have the upward and downward extensions 23 and 24 squared and formed off-center with respect to the main body of the clamping bracket and the opening 25 is also formed oiT-center so that when the device is under tension as in holding a completed corner joint together, the tension is equally carried through these extensions where they engage the end walls of the extruded metal section being clamped.

The same construction is utilized in joining the mullion bar l3 to the side rail l0 and, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings, the openings 18a and Ilia are formed in the end walls Illa and I1 of the side rail I0. A clamping bracket 28 of shorter length than the bracket 22 heretofore referred to is positioned in the mullion bar l3 by way of slots 29 and 30 positioned vertically and a. bolt 3| moved into engagement therewith through the openings Mia and Ilia.

.It will also occur to those skilled in the art that if desired a finishing trim strip may be applied to the recessed end walls Illa and Ho to cover the opening [8 and the slot 20 if desired, the trim strip being afiixed by metal screws or other suitable fasteners. Asection of such trim strips is shown in" Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings and indicated by the numeral 32.

Under some conditions it may be desirable to utilize a rectangular metal washer such as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings and indicated by the numeral 33, the said rectangular metal washer being located within the side rail i0 and provided with a central opening through which the bolt 26 is positioned. The rectangular metal washer 33 strengthens the construction and is preferably, although not necessarily, employed in producing satisfactory corner constructions as herein disclosed,

It will thus be seen that a simple, inexpensive and unusually eflicient corner constructl'onhas been disclosed which enables extruded metal members to be joined 'to'one another eiiiciently and rapidly and thereby meets the several ob'-. jects of theinvention.

Having thus described claim is: .s 1,

l. A structural connection,,-said connection comprising one hollow metal member disposed in end position against the side of anothenhollow' metal member, said first mentionedhollow metal member having an opening in one side wall and an elongated slot formed longitudinally of said: first mentioned member in the side wall in op-:

positely disposed relation to said one side'iwall,-.a clamping piece having opposed parallel faces and having a peripheral form substantially conforming to the interior of said one member and having a thickness less than thewidth'of'said slot,

said clamping piece having-a length substantially equal to the inside distance between said pair of side walls, polygonal reduced end extensions on said clamping piece of a thickness equal'to the thickness of the clamping piece, the length 'ofisaid slot being greater than th'e'width of said clamping piece so'th'at after said clamping'piecehas been positioned through said slot to an inclined relationship within the first mentioned member and rotated through approximately a right angle, said clamping piece can be pivoted from its inclined position to a second position wherein said end extensions are engaged in said 'opening and slot at the ends thereof adjacent the other hollow member and held from rotation by the walls of the opening and slot, the other hollow metal mem-'- her having an opening in the side wall thereof having the first mentioned member positioned thereagainst, threaded'opening extending between said parallel faces adapted to be aligned with said opening in the side wall of said other hollow member when saidclamping'piece is in said second position, and a bolt adapted to be engaged through'said opening intheother hollow member and engaged in" said threaded opening for clamping said members together. Y 2. A structural connection, "said connection comprising one hollow metal member disposed in end position against-the side of Stnothefholldirf metal member, said first mentioned hollow metal member having an opening'in one sidewall and an elongated slot formed longitudinally of said first mentioned member in the side wall in oppositel y disposed relation to said one side wall, a" clamping piece'having opposed parallel 'faces andhavmg a peripheral form substantially conformmy, invention. what; 1

said clamping piece having a ing to the interior of said one member and having a thickness less than the width of said slot, said clamping piece having a length substantially equal to the inside distance between said pair of side walls, polygonal reduced end extensions on said clamping piece of a thickness equal to the thickness of the clamping piece, the length of said slot bein greater than the width of said clamping piece so that after said clamping piece has been positioned through said slot to an inclinedrelationship within the first mentioned member and-rotated through approximately a right angle, said clamping piece can be pivoted from its inclined position to a second position wherein said end extensions are engaged in said opening and slot at the ends thereof adjacent the other hollow member and held from rotation by the walls of the opening and slot, the other hollow member having a pair of aligned openings in opposite side walls thereof and communicating with the interior of said first mentioned member, said clamping piece having a threaded opening extending between said parallel faces adapted to be aligned with the pair of aligned openings in the other shank movable through said aligned openings with the head thereof engaging the edge of, one of said aligned openings and the shank adapted to threadedly engage the threaded opening of said clamping piece for connecting the said members together.

CLIFFORD L. WEBSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 973,144 Staples Oct. 18, 1910 1,460,928 'Iilden July 3, 1923 2,018,250 Cohan Oct. 22, 1935 2,114,617 Verhagen Apr. 19, 1938 2,242,427 Heanue May 20, 1941 2,477,997 McArthur Aug. 2, 1949 2,557,766 Ronfeldt June 19, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 561,627 Great Britain May 26, 1944 

